Brevard prepares to tap river if needed

Published: Tuesday, October 1, 2013 at 4:30 a.m.

Last Modified: Tuesday, October 1, 2013 at 12:16 a.m.

Faced with a predicted water supply shortage between 2018 and 2020, Brevard City Council took a major step Monday toward putting a future water intake on the French Broad River, the only source large enough to meet its future thirst.

By a 5-0 vote, council authorized city staff to begin drafting a watershed ordinance that the state requires in order to begin the process of reclassifying waters as a drinking water source. The vote doesn't commit the city to any specific intake site, councilmen stressed.

Councilman Charlie Landreth compared the move to taking a driver's education course before you're issued a license to get behind the wheel.

“The state doesn't care what kind of car you drive or where you go,” he said. “They just want you, for starters, to take the driver's education and pass the test. I just want to reiterate…this is step that is a precursor, but it doesn't commit us to any future decisions in the process.”

“No matter what happens, the consensus is we're going to run out of water,” said Councilman Rodney Locks, who threw his support behind the ordinance but had to leave the work session before the vote. “If we don't do something, we can't grow.”

Council has been exploring water capacity issues since a 2012 consultant's study calculated the city needed at least 5 million gallons a day to meet predicted population growth and full build-out of 1,200 residential lots already on the books.

The city's current water treatment plant on Cathey's Creek is capable of treating about 2.2 mgd, said City Utilities Director Jay Johnston. Consultants think the city's water system will hit capacity around 2020, but city staff looked at scenarios in which supplies could be “unable to reliably meet demand” by 2018 or 2019.

Given the city's importance to county growth and economic development, the city needs to bring Transylvania County commissioners in on the discussion, Mayor Jimmy Harris said.

“Because the best time to become a partner is in the beginning,” Harris said. “If it's their desire to look at other developable properties that require utility services, this would be the time to do it, and we would want to know what their needs are, if they want to be a partner with us.”

Currently, the county lacks its own public utilities, relying on those of Rosman and Brevard, along with private providers.

Looking at a model that included the full build-out of Brevard and its extraterritorial jurisdiction, engineers found the city would need 5 mgd of water just to service the 11,106 new residences and 4.7 million square feet of commercial space allowed under current zoning.

Planning Director Josh Freeman told council that zoning essentially promises developers that adequate water supplies are there to support allowable densities, and “we have to back it up with our level of service.”

He pointed out the city has already committed 600,000 gallons per day to Davidson River Village, a mixed-use development planned for the former Ecusta paper mill site. Those kind of “codified” commitments reinforce the need to look at the French Broad as a 5 mgd water source, he said.

Engineering and environmental studies will pinpoint where an intake would best go, Johnston said, but city staff has analyzed several examples on the French Broad, including one near the Davidson River confluence, one off Wilson Road and one at Hap Simpson Park.

Each would produce adequate water, he said, but all would require a watershed ordinance that protected 10 river miles upstream of the intake from pollution. That means the county would either have to jointly develop an ordinance with the city or create its own watershed ordinance for it to fly.

State regulations would allow 2 dwelling units per acre in the protected watershed – greater than most existing county developments, Johnston said – and higher density options with engineered stormwater controls. Those would only apply to new construction, he said, not existing development.

The first half-mile upstream of the intake would require a 10-foot agricultural buffer and no new landfills, Johnston said.

Locks said people tend to get “hung up on examples” of where the intake might go, but emphasized the city is years away from making that decision and has multiple alternatives, including the Davidson River (though that would produce only 3.4 mgd, city staff said.)

“My point is I think we should go ahead, and I think the fact that we can tell the engineers what alternatives to look at will eliminate some of the fears,” Locks said.

<p>Faced with a predicted water supply shortage between 2018 and 2020, Brevard City Council took a major step Monday toward putting a future water intake on the French Broad River, the only source large enough to meet its future thirst.</p><p>By a 5-0 vote, council authorized city staff to begin drafting a watershed ordinance that the state requires in order to begin the process of reclassifying waters as a drinking water source. The vote doesn't commit the city to any specific intake site, councilmen stressed.</p><p>Councilman Charlie Landreth compared the move to taking a driver's education course before you're issued a license to get behind the wheel.</p><p>“The state doesn't care what kind of car you drive or where you go,” he said. “They just want you, for starters, to take the driver's education and pass the test. I just want to reiterate…this is step that is a precursor, but it doesn't commit us to any future decisions in the process.”</p><p>“No matter what happens, the consensus is we're going to run out of water,” said Councilman Rodney Locks, who threw his support behind the ordinance but had to leave the work session before the vote. “If we don't do something, we can't grow.”</p><p>Council has been exploring water capacity issues since a 2012 consultant's study calculated the city needed at least 5 million gallons a day to meet predicted population growth and full build-out of 1,200 residential lots already on the books.</p><p>The city's current water treatment plant on Cathey's Creek is capable of treating about 2.2 mgd, said City Utilities Director Jay Johnston. Consultants think the city's water system will hit capacity around 2020, but city staff looked at scenarios in which supplies could be “unable to reliably meet demand” by 2018 or 2019.</p><p>Given the city's importance to county growth and economic development, the city needs to bring Transylvania County commissioners in on the discussion, Mayor Jimmy Harris said.</p><p>“Because the best time to become a partner is in the beginning,” Harris said. “If it's their desire to look at other developable properties that require utility services, this would be the time to do it, and we would want to know what their needs are, if they want to be a partner with us.”</p><p>Currently, the county lacks its own public utilities, relying on those of Rosman and Brevard, along with private providers.</p><p>Looking at a model that included the full build-out of Brevard and its extraterritorial jurisdiction, engineers found the city would need 5 mgd of water just to service the 11,106 new residences and 4.7 million square feet of commercial space allowed under current zoning.</p><p>Planning Director Josh Freeman told council that zoning essentially promises developers that adequate water supplies are there to support allowable densities, and “we have to back it up with our level of service.”</p><p>He pointed out the city has already committed 600,000 gallons per day to Davidson River Village, a mixed-use development planned for the former Ecusta paper mill site. Those kind of “codified” commitments reinforce the need to look at the French Broad as a 5 mgd water source, he said.</p><p>Engineering and environmental studies will pinpoint where an intake would best go, Johnston said, but city staff has analyzed several examples on the French Broad, including one near the Davidson River confluence, one off Wilson Road and one at Hap Simpson Park.</p><p>Each would produce adequate water, he said, but all would require a watershed ordinance that protected 10 river miles upstream of the intake from pollution. That means the county would either have to jointly develop an ordinance with the city or create its own watershed ordinance for it to fly.</p><p>State regulations would allow 2 dwelling units per acre in the protected watershed – greater than most existing county developments, Johnston said – and higher density options with engineered stormwater controls. Those would only apply to new construction, he said, not existing development.</p><p>The first half-mile upstream of the intake would require a 10-foot agricultural buffer and no new landfills, Johnston said.</p><p>Locks said people tend to get “hung up on examples” of where the intake might go, but emphasized the city is years away from making that decision and has multiple alternatives, including the Davidson River (though that would produce only 3.4 mgd, city staff said.)</p><p>“My point is I think we should go ahead, and I think the fact that we can tell the engineers what alternatives to look at will eliminate some of the fears,” Locks said.</p><p>Reach Axtell at 828-694-7860 or than.axtell@blueridgenow.com.</p>